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City and region guides, added as we go.

North

How to Spend 3 Days in Beijing

How to spend three days in Beijing — the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, where to stay, and the advance booking that decides whether you get through the gate at all.

Last updated 8/28/2026

East

Hangzhou: The Lake That Was Written

West Lake isn't a natural wonder — it's a poem a thousand years in the making, built by two poet-governors and named by a painting academy. Why Hangzhou is where China keeps its idea of beauty, and the 2026 catch: the lake is free, but the temple now needs a reservation.

Last updated 9/16/2026

Shanghai in 1–2 Days: the Gentlest Introduction to China

How to spend one to two days in Shanghai — the Bund, Yu Garden, Lujiazui, and xiaolongbao — and why it is the softest first stop for transit and visa-free visitors.

Last updated 8/29/2026

Suzhou Travel Guide: Classical Gardens and Canal Lanes in 2–3 Days

How to spend 2–3 days in Suzhou — the classical gardens, Pingjiang Road’s canal lanes, Tiger Hill, and the sweet-and-sour fish you should try.

Last updated 8/24/2026

Central

Tianmen Mountain: A Hole in the Sky, and the Art of Not Looking Down

Zhangjiajie's Heaven's Gate — the 7.5 km cable car, the 999 steps, the glass walkways you are allowed to skip, and an honest map of every part that will make your legs go funny.

Last updated 8/27/2026

Wulingyuan: The Forest That Taught a Film to Float

China's sandstone-pillar national park has five entrances up to an hour apart — and which gate you walk through decides how much queueing you do. A two-day plan, the Bailong Elevator workarounds, and where the Avatar mountain really came from.

Last updated 8/27/2026

South

Guilin & Yangshuo: The Postcard Is Down the River

The karst peaks on every China postcard aren't in Guilin city — they're along the Li River and around Yangshuo. A river-and-terrace journey through China's most famous landscape, and why the old proverb turns out to be literally true.

Last updated 9/9/2026

Southwest

Chengdu: The City You Won't Want to Leave

Pandas, tea houses, hotpot and the most relaxed pace in China — how to spend five unhurried days in Chengdu, and why no one who comes here really wants to leave.

Last updated 8/29/2026

Daocheng Yading: The Valley That Was Named After a Novel

Sichuan's "last Shangri-La" — where that name actually came from, what the three sacred peaks were called first, and how to walk the valley honestly at 4,700 metres.

Last updated 8/25/2026

Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan: The Water That Broke the Sky

A wander through Jiuzhaigou Valley — the impossible turquoise lakes, the two great waterfalls, the Tibetan villages, and how to plan the trip by the new high-speed rail.

Last updated 8/25/2026

Chongqing Travel Guide: China’s 8D Mountain City in 2–3 Days

How to spend 2–3 days in Chongqing — Hongyadong’s stilt houses, the Liziba monorail, the Yangtze cableway, and the hotpot you can’t leave without trying.

Last updated 8/23/2026

Northwest

Xi'an: The Terracotta Army and China's Ancient Capital

How to spend three days in Xi'an — the Terracotta Army, the city wall you cycle on top of, the Muslim Quarter's food, and the ancient capital where China's story begins.

Last updated 9/1/2026